MILAN Oct 12 Italian broadcaster Mediaset
has asked an Italian court to order the seizure of a 3.5
percent stake in Vivendi in a dispute with the French
group over a soured pay-TV deal, a source said on Wednesday.

Mediaset accuses Vivendi of reneging on an April deal under
which Vivendi agreed to give the Italian company the 3.5 percent
stake in exchange for an equal stake in Mediaset and full
ownership of the Italian group's Premium pay-TV unit.

The first hearing to decide on Mediaset's request will be
held on November 8, the source added.

Vivendi declined to comment.

A 3.5 percent stake in Vivendi is worth around 820 million
euros at the current market price. Any seizure order would apply
to shares held by Vivendi in its corporate treasury and
implementation would need the cooperation of French authorities.

The two groups have been feuding since July when Vivendi
said it would back out of the share-swap deal on the basis that
Premium's financial forecasts had changed.
(Reporting by Giulia Segreti and Claudia Cristoferi; Editing by
Mark Bendeich)

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